afternoon

on a hot sleepy afternoon
it’s unbearable if not impossible
to walk outside
even under trees laden with tiny green leaves
nothing moves – no leaf, no blade of grass
until a speeding bus
unsettles the dust along the road
breaking the monotony
and, a torrent of much needed air
even though warm
dried leaves and branches rustle
along the pavement
in a rush to reach for distant shadows
bus gone, silence returns
broken again by lonesome footsteps
crushing whatever lies underneath
a crow crows above,
sounding the alarm of the approaching stranger
to others of its ilk
footsteps continue
gradually growing distant & distant
till they become inaudible
once again,
the much agreeable
silence returns to the street

love, expressed

in just a glance
i was killed
merely a look
no words
…to convey an emotion, or
…to clear an illusion
it was the wind
that rushed to caress my cold face
after ruffling that slender nape
it was indeed that wind that
made warm love gush in my veins
throbbing my warm, reddened ears
and dilating my pupils despite the chill
my eyes watered,
dazzled by the first snow of the winter
titanium bright white
as the cobalt blue of the skies
smiled with some more snowflakes
pure and white
i licked my drying lips
rubbed my tender eyes
cleared my souring throat
just to express my newfound love
but my voice lost itself somewhere
near my larynx
and my love ended sounding like
the groan of a man with
a mutilated heart

the end

don’t speak
don’t talk
there’s nothing i would rather hear
i don’t want to listen to a single word
i just want to lie down idly…
gazing at the stars above…
my legs crossed over the knees…
exhilarated at the sight of moon…

all around, black abounds
darkness falls all over me
like soft, soundless soot from the sky
life goes by
so slowly,
hesitating, halting steps
indent my head, then chest,
then stomach and then legs
a tiny trickle of a mysterious drop
lands on my parched lips
from a cloud drifting far away, far-far away
just a drop and no more
just a lick and no more

o’ wind,
lisp a sweet lullaby
in my ears
and make me fall dead
when the end comes…

money, money

a dollar fits in my sweaty palm
two dollars fit easily too
three dollars are a bit of a squeeze
four dollars just cannot do

wads of dollars are even more
difficult to accommodate
it’s better to spend the little you have
and start afresh with a clean slate

wallets can fit a lot of cash
big denominations, especially
problem arises only when
you don’t possess any

sometimes you pay all the bills
and at times you pay a few
sometimes you dine on wine and cheese
at other times bread is all you can chew

break the molds, don’t break hearts
break the stupid piggy banks, o’ binks
count the golden eggs they hatch
and enjoy the omlette while the ship, slowly, sinks!

rainbow

somewhere, behind the clouds
lies a rainbow bright
far away, behind the mountains
it stays out of sight
when we climb the mountains
slowly, it’s tiring
your legs are weak, honey
and you’re perspiring
just take a deep breath
and exhale
our journey will end
and our plan not fail
once we are over the peak
lo and behold
our dreams will come true
and miseries fold
here, hold on my hand
we are on a cliff
just midway to the top
don’t get your back stiff
feel the cold wind
caressing your face
enjoy the lovely views
before we win the race
there, o’ my dear
it’s a just a few steps more
lean on my shoulder
for I have never loved you more

you

rain against the window pane
whispers vaguely familiar songs
and sweet, fond memories flash back
of you and me, sitting together
huddled in front of the wired heater
fanning wafts of hot air in our faces
flushed with old monk and coke
orange-hued fried battered fish
stared back at us from oil-stained newspaper
together with mint-chutney, laced with blood-curdling
unbearably hot, yet unavoidable green chillies
the warmth of indoors disappeared
the instant we stepped out
in the frosted december night
those lovely walks on
the deserted tar road in corbett
between dhikala and bijrani…
those silly moments of lying down
on the dry, cold road carrying tyre-prints
of infinite vehicles that thundered along
and the possibility of having your back against
a spot where a beautiful, serene wild thing
may have crossed the road for a thirst-quenching
gulp of water from ravishingly charming,
kosi flowing deceptively innocuously
between pebbles smoothened by centuries of
caresses by nature’s wet hands…
those memories of our time together
are tattooed in my heart immortally
and will always be there for me to cherish,
just as you, my love, i hope, i pray
stay beside me till my last breath.

chase them...chase them

i want something from life
and, i’d say, so does the wife
but it’s elusive so far, to say the least
a beauty being chased by a beast
someday, i pray, we will catch
up, and hopefully our eggs will hatch
is it enough to have a dream?
even though far away it may seem
in the journey to the destination
lies really the whole fascination
chasing dreams is an exotic sensation
but not dreaming is like annihilation
to chase our dreams, let’s walk or jog or run
but if we stop dead life will be no fun